Well, I have to say that the weekend trip to Cincinnati to see Oona was a successful one all around.

Ahhh..the weekend trip.  It’s great because only a carryon is needed!

And let me tell you something. It was hotter than July!  I ended up changing into shorts as soon as I arrived at Oona’s house! This outfit was way too warm!

She found the perfect wedding dress –it is spectacular and she was radiant when she wore it in the shop’s bridal suite.  I can’t give details away.  But I can assure you that when you finally see the dress on my daughter, it’ll take your breath away!

I’ll share a photo of Oona, on the right and her best friend and Maid of Honor Lauren on the left.  We were all relaxing with Mimosas and high-calorie food after the dress was purchased!

Dress and wedding plans withstanding, overall, it was a great weekend.  The night before I flew out to see her I received a text.  And it was one that made me realize no matter how independent the kids are, mom still has a purpose.  It was a text asking me to make dinner for Saturday night. How could I refuse that offer?

Note the “IF YOU SAY YES”–as if I’m gonna say “NO”!!  This is the greatness of being a mother.  Even when they are adults they still love mom’s cooking. And not only did I make ONE Nougatine–I made TWO!  Jake is making a stopover this weekend before heading to NYC on a business trip! It’s his favorite dessert!

It was also the weekend to be introduced to the newest addition to Oona and Sam’s family—their Goldendoodle puppy, Gracie.  And she’s the cutest little nugget I’ve ever seen.  Sam and Oona are epic doggie parents because Miss Gracie is already housetrained—in a week!  And she can sit and she listens!  They are far better dog parents than I ever was!

Look at this little nugget–meet Gracie!  Eight weeks old and the cutest puppy ever!

Drinking coffee in the morning, sitting down relaxing watching TV, running errands, getting dinner and dessert ready, enjoying drinks before dinner—it sounds very mundane but there comes a point in your life when your relationship with your child changes into an adult relationship and it’s one of those moments in life when you realize that it’s all just so good.

Hanging ’round in the AM enjoying cawfee with my daughter. It’s all grand!

Cincinnati is now my daughter’s home. It is the city where she works.  It is the city where she met her future husband.  It is the city where they purchased their home.  It is the city she has settled.   And when she and Sam raise their family, Cincinnati will be the city where their children will have their roots. It will be the foundation of their lives.

And they’ve made a lovely little home!

And I love the city where Oona lives.  The homes are older and have a ton of character.  There’s history in each and every home.  The neighborhoods surrounding downtown Cincy have history.  It’s charming and there are many areas going through growth.  It’s great to see and makes me very happy.

And we all know that if mommy is happy, the whole family is happy!

And as all great weekends come to an end, Sunday rolled around so quickly.

Grandma had to give Gracie departing kisses–I think she’s wondering why my hair changed from long and layered to a chin-length bob.  I travel with hair. It’s easier!

My grandpuppy wanted me to stay!

For the first time in a very long time that “Sunday night feeling” came over me a few hours early.  You know the feeling I’m talking about.  It’s that empty anxious feeling you get in your stomach with a touch of sadness and melancholy—and it only occurs on Sunday usually beginning late afternoon.  It happens more often in the winter than the summer too. I don’t know why—but it does!

True dat!  Sunday nights should be better spent so that feeling goes away!!!

I had that feeling as I exited the car and we kissed each other goodbye.  Entering the CVG (Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky) Airport though was a bit uplifting though.  Truth be told, it’s one of my favorite airports because it’s so dang manageable!   There’s never a line for check-in and the TSA lines, though long, move briskly with the only TSA agents I’ve ever come across that are all pleasant and friendly—they actually like their jobs!

I kid you not Sara Ducker and Thomas Gibson are Transportation Security Administration agents at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. This photo is from an article that was written in the Cincinnati Enquirer and it’s true.  This airport has THE friendliest TSA people ever!

There’s a tram to the gates but since I’m the laziest woman on earth who needs any form of exercise she can get, I always take the opportunity to walk to the gate!  And here’s where the airport gets really good.  The Cincy museum has dinosaur skeleton exhibits on loan.  I freaking love that airport.

The only thing that could make my more gleeful than this Mastodon skeleton would be the skeleton of a Woolly Mammoth!  

Best airport in the USA!

Back at the gate and preparing to board, the weekend played over in my mind like a cinematic big screen event.  And that Sunday feeling dissipated until I arrived back in Philly.

Back to Philly!

It’s difficult to put my finger on it but I’ve just never warmed up to the Philly area.  I live here but it isn’t home to me.  When we moved from Manhattan to New Jersey, I warmed up to the Pennington area because the kids were so young that eventually it was home for a while.

But my true home will always be New York.  I love New York.  The City. Long Island. Upstate—there isn’t one place in New York that I don’t love.

I’ll always be a New York City girl!!

And when I arrived home, New York was waiting for me. Yeah. It was.

I’ll explain…

A couple of weeks ago, the folks at Messages in Metal reached out to me.  I thought it was a company that made messages out of metal sheeting to hang on the wall.  But, the company creates jewelry.  Affordable and quite nice. Here’s a link to the website so you can see the offerings. Messages in Metal Website  Anyway, I was asked if I would like to choose an item to review.

One of the most unique items the company makes is the state necklace.  You can have the state of your choice embellished with your local area code or with the word “home” or “love”—clearly a message on how you feel about your home state—or the state you’ve grown to love!

Montana.  Home of Area Code 406 and home of Messages in Metal

And after perusing the site, I decided to order a New York State necklace with the area code that I used for many, many years—the NYC area code of 212.  I chose the copper and silver model—simply because the combination of those two metals looked irresistible!

I love the combination of the copper and silver! It’s unique and sharp!

And I couldn’t have been happier!

The necklace came very well-packaged.

The necklace was delivered very quickly and the packaging secure!

In the big box was this smaller box..

…and in the smaller box was a velvet box with my necklace!

The workmanship is excellent—it’s definitely a high-quality product for an affordable price.

The necklace is weighted perfectly. It’s heavy enough that it hangs beautifully but doesn’t feel heavy!

The weight of the actual pendant is heavy enough so that the it lays flat and isn’t moving every which way when you move.  But it doesn’t feel heavy at all.

It’s honestly such a unique piece and I received many compliments and inquiries when I wore it to work.  Everyone agreed that the idea of your state with your area code was genius!

Although my photography skills leave much to be desired, I love the size of the necklace too. It isn’t large and is delicate enough to wear even for dressier occasions.  I wore it to work the past two days!!

For those who would want more of a traditional necklace, Messages in Metal offers Birthstone necklaces engraved with the names of children, or grandchildren or a significant other.  I’ll bet you could even have a necklace made with your dogs’ names too!

This dog-tag necklace is a great mom or grandmother gift.  Hmmmm.  I should get one with Ruby, Dorothy, and Chippy’s names on it–making it a true dog tag!

You can even gift yourself!

With the Holidays just around the corner, these necklaces would make great budget-friendly gifts.

If I were to order a Jake, Roman, and Oona necklace–this would be the one!  What do you think?

And they are made at home—in the USA!!

I think Mr. Bald Eagle wishes I were a bit lighter. Don’t worry, I’m back on Weight Watchers!

I want to thank Hallie from Messages in Metal for lifting my spirit after a memorable weekend with my daughter.

And after I put that necklace on, and came downstairs to have dinner with my husband, I realized that I was home. To the home that my husband and I made together!

And my favorite little nook at home is the sunroom!  It’s next to the kitchen and the heart of the home!

Anywhere your heart is—is home! And I hope you can see this little video of Gracie!!